Friday, May 28, 2010

My favourite local(s) in Kingston

Seeing as I haven't updated this in a bloody long time (blame exams), I've decided now would be the perfect time to go into TravelWriter!Jenny mode...and tell you all about my favourite pubs in Kingston! These are only a few out of the huge amount of pubs you find here, I might add, but I'll be working on getting to see the others soon enough.


1. The Druids Head
This was my very first pub in Kingston. I staggered there with a bunch of Americans after a lot of free wine at the postgrad gathering and was shocked at the price of a pint of Guinness. This became a running theme with nearly every pub I went to - ah, naive Janna! Anyway, I don't visit quite as often as one would imagine (it's the closest pub to me) but whenever I do it's always fun, whether it involves meeting Kingston local men's clay pigeon shooting club or dancing around to Madonna's Vogue.
Pros: Dead central plus you have to love the name. Ahhhh, English pub names!
Cons: Expensive!! And a little boring on the inside.


2. The Mill
OH THE MILL! <3 Got to love the Mill. This is every Kingston student's second home, especially the ones on Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses as it is hilariously close. It is your typical student pub - cheap(ish) prices plus the wonderful invention that is Quid Night on Mondays (Fosters for only £1.30!). The jukebox there is only 50p at a time and it is always amusing listening to the sequence of songs that comes up when you spend a longish time there...yesterday it was Marilyn Manson followed by Eurotrash followed by Bonnie Tyler at one point.
Pros: Always a good night out. Food is usually great too. Love the jukebox addition.
Cons: Despite it being riverside you can't go outside at summer time. Finding tables is like a mission from God. Gets a little too student-y sometimes. AND they stop serving food at 9!


3. O'Neills.
O'Neills is part of a chain of Irish pubs across the UK. The Kingston one is a particularly lovely watering hole. Atmosphere there is always great with the live music (usually Irish!). Plus it is extremely central and therefore only requires a 2-minute long stumble home on my part.
Pros: THE LIVE MUSIC!
Cons: Pretty expensive plus some of the staff can be really rude at times.


4. The King's Tun/Lloyds
Ahhhhh, Lloyds. Or the Tun. Or Spoons, whatever, it has a lot of names! Lloyds is, happily enough, one of those magical Wetherspoons pubs which means prices are slashed...gotta love it <3 Lloyds is great for one of those epic nights out because it turns into a club after a certain time on weekends. During the day, it's nice to go there, even by yourself, and just have a drink, a (cheap!) burger and read a book.
Pros: Cheap, fun, big as it's on two levels. It's never difficult to get a table there.
Cons: Does attract a fair amount of creeps. Plus the last time I went there, I didn't get ID-ed for buying beer but my friend got ID-ed for buying (get this)...apple crumble! Weirdos. Also, it's across from Oceana...just google that...


5. The Spring Grove
The Grove is the ideal Penrhyn Road-type post-university hangout because it's round the corner from university. In fact, it's where we usually run into our lecturers, haha! The Grove has a lovely atmosphere and great staff, but it is quite honestly the most expensive pub I've ever encountered. I mean, ouch.
Pros: Love it at wintertime because of its lovely fireplace. Also: proximity to university. Especially after an evil lecture.
Cons: EXPENSIVEEXPENSIVEEXPENSIVEEEEEEE. And not central at all.


6. The Ram
Lovelylovelylovely riverside pub! Quite tiny but worth it if you want a few drinks in the sun...as long as you find a table, that is...
Pros: The aforementioned riverside beer garden <3.
Cons: Lack of tables!


7. The Grey Horse
The Grey Horse is fantastic because of its stand-up comedy nights. My friends and I tend to go on Fridays but they're on all weekend as far as I know. Admission to live comedy is only a fiver if you're a student!
Pros: Very cheap. Close to the train station so it's not a long walk back. Stand-up comedy!
Cons: Itsy bitsy teeny weeny.

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